Tour 2012

MUSICIAN COMPOSER

USA

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To Stefania, Gabriella, Ezio, Carlos, Gene, Sharon, Laura, Jim, Chuck, and everyone who made this possible.

ENGLISHPaolo SchianchiFive months in the USA for concerts, masterclasses and clinicsJune 2012

For five months, from January to May 2012, the musician and com-poser Paolo Schianchi moved his residence and his artistic activity to the Unites States. He has been the first ever Artist in Residence at the SFU in Pennsylvania, invited by the Head of the Department of Fine Arts, Charles R.Olson, and by the founding member of Rusted Root, the multiplatinum recording artist Jim Donovan.In his thirty-year career Donovan has collaborated with an impressi-ve list of artists such as Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page and Sting. In 2009 when listening to Schianchi‘s solo concert: ‘Instrumental Meta-morphoses’, he simply called Paolo “the best guitarist I’ve ever witnessed”.Recently, one of Paolo’s pieces has become part of the sound track of the film (Somewhere Tonight, 2011) starring John Turturro; ano-ther of his pieces appears in an album where he is a special guest and both interpreter and arranger together with artists of the caliber of Steve Hackett (Genesis). Thanks to his talent and music, he has recently been chosen from among over two thousand artists by the Italian Fondazione Q (Quality Foundation), who will produce his solo album - the music is entirely his own - next year (2013) on a 37-string harp-guitar made specially for him by the Argentine luthier Carlos R. Michelutti.

Paolo flew out to the USA with 6 of his instruments (Renaissance lute, classical guitar, resophonic guitar, and a modified electric and classical guitar, that are part of his patented electro-acoustic system Octopus, which was also brought along to the States, together with his brand new 37-string guitar). Paolo took his music and talent on tour across North America, performing both classical guitar and contemporary experimenta-tion repertoires with the same quality and intensity.In addition to his concerts on behalf of SFU (five major events, each dedicated to a different genre of music), Paolo was a guest at other universities and institutions in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, Erie, Indiana, etc., holding concerts, seminars and masterclasses. Everywhere he went, he aroused curiosity, was given ovations and his concerts were almost always sold out.

In the course of those five months, Paolo Schianchi had the great honor of being the first solo artist ever to perform at Carnegie Museum of Art; he also played in a duet alongside Sean Jones, possibly one of the best trumpeters in the U.S. (the lead trumpeter for the ‘Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’, on invitation by Wynton Marsalis), in a sold-out concert at the prestigious August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh. Trumpeter with Marcus Miller, Sean Jones is replacing the role of the renown Miles Davis. Sean Jones himself has enthusiastically defined Paolo “an unbelievable musician!”.

Each concert was accompanied by the acclamation of the audience, who almost always awarded Paolo with a long, standing ovation. Among the numerous comments, Ben Speggen (Erie Reader) aptly sums them all up when he says of Schianchi, after a solo concert on classical guitar, lute, resophonic and jazz guitars plus the 37-string guitar: “it’s like staring at the sun for an hour”.

Paolo Schianchi - 37-string guitar

ENGLISHA wonderful experience that - Paolo relates - «makes me inexplicably grateful, proud and hono-red but at the same time has left me deeply sad because of what is happening to culture in our country. But I have faith in the future and for my part I will do all I possibly can. Then I think of incredible people whose passion and determination have made my country great and this hear-tens me. As the great Enzo Ferrari used to say: If you can dream it, you can do it. This trip to the States really has been a dream come true».

Paolo has just returned to Italy, but he will be back in the States on tour in 2013.In the meantime he is working on some new videos and an album which will be devoted mainly to the exploration of his new 37-string guitar, a unique instrument designed and built together with the Argentine luthier Carlos Roberto Michelutti.

Besides teaching at the Saint Francis University, performing in concerts and giving masterclas-ses at other universities in the months spent in the U.S., Paolo has also kept up his distance learning teaching program, and has continued to teach his students in his desire to share and pass on his knowledge and passion for music. Moreover, five of his Italian students have had the opportunity to reach their Maestro in the U.S. where they have performed, under Paolo’s gui-dance, with a repertoire that goes from Bach to Piazzolla, jazz and Pink Floyd, performing at different venues including the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C., one of the most prestigious music schools in the capital.

Paolo Schianchi - solo guitar concert, sold out & standing ovation, Pennsylvania - January 31, 2012

ENGLISHPaolo SchianchiUSA TOUR 2012Reviews, articles & quotes

«It's like staring at the sun for an hour.»Ben Spegge (Erie Reader)

«I am in a complete daze right now. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this elated. Ever since I can remember, my family and I have sat down, with nothing else to do, turned on our stereo and just *listened*, ever searching for a clearer, purer sound, to pull the musicians into the room. Tonight, the opposite happe-ned. [...] I was pulled into the music, and I don’t remember ever feeling so entranced. I flowed with the music, I felt its swells and its rhythms and its feeling, and to me, that’s what music is all about. I still hear its echoes in my head and all the other noises of the world are made obsolete. I hear them, but I don’t acknowledge them. [...] The music was so pure. […] I never wanted the music to stop, but sounds like this never stop. They stay with you, in your hearts, and stay there until they are brought to the surface by something equally amazing. I cannot wait to hear you perform again […]. There are no words or songs to express my thanks for this wonderful opportunity to hear what you’ve created, so for now, I’ll just be as devoted a listener as I can be, and try and pour as much of my gratitude and joy into one word: Grazie!!»Marie Schoenenberger

«Thank you for the CD. I have been listening to it non-stop. You are so talented!»Dave Salge

Paolo Schianchi - Instrumental Metamorphoses, solo guitar concert, Philadelphia, 2012

Trobadour, Vol. XVI - No.5, review of Instrumental Metamorphoses, first show, 2009

Life - April 12, 2012

Beaver County Times, 2010

Review of the concert at SAMA with Davey Yarborough, March 22, 2012

ENGLISH«In my thirty-year career as a performing artist

I’ve had the honour of sharing the stage with legen-dary musicians such as Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page, Sting and many others. I feel both blessed and spoiled due to the fact that I’ve been so close to so many masterful musicians. These days it really takes a special musician to get me to even pay attention. Paolo Schianchi is one of those mu-sicians. I don’t speak lightly when I say that Schianchi is the best guitarist I have ever witnes-sed.In my time working with Paolo, he has proven to be one of those rare musicians who challenge me to reconsider what is possible in music. Calling Schianchi a virtuoso is like calling Pavarotti a good singer. He is the rare mix of tremendous talent and humble spirit. Not only does he dwarf other guita-rists in terms of mastery of the instrument, he also cares enough to teach. When I’ve seen Paolo’s stu-dents perform in Italy and America I witness young musicians who have consistently been encouraged to dream beyond what they think is possible in music AND to be humble. The world of music needs more musicians like Paolo Schianchi.»Jim Donovan (Multi-platinum Recording Artist, Founding member of Rusted Root, Professor at Saint Francis University)

«I've listened to your CD several times and took it on a trip with me. It was like having a friend traveling with me! Absolutely fabulous, Paolo!»Bronwyn Stevens

Interview at WTAJ tv (CBS affiliate) - April 2012

Central Park, New York, 2012

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August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Pittsburgh - May 24, 2012

«You are unbelievable! Unbelievable! Paolo, you are the beautiful soul. Thanks for being you!»Sean Jones (lead trumpeter for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, playing Miles Davis parts currently on tour with Marcus Miller, featured on the 2007 Grammy Award-winning “Turned to Blue” from Nancy Wilson)

«You were both beautifully amazing!!! Hope you will do it again! I can't stop talking about! Lol!»Martha Agedew Vasser (talking about Paolo's duet with Sean Jones)

«Awesome man, my roommate is really excited to hear you play he wants to get play with you sometime while you here. Can't wait man, glad you got the chance to finally come here!»Will Scholly

«Dear Paolo,Hi! Thank you again for coming to St. Francis this semester! It is amazing to have you here! [...] I am a piano teacher here at S.F.U. [...]. Thanks so much for letting me sit in on your rehearsal last night! It was a pleasure to watch you teach. You are very good at breaking down new concepts so that the students can understand them. That is a great gift in a teacher. I was surprised by how much progress the students, who were in unfamiliar territory with the genre, made in such a short time.»Tina Illig (piano teacher at Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania)

Sean Jones

«Your music touched and inspired many»Bill Burke (musician)

«I can't wait to hear more compositions of yours!»Daniel Murphy (musician)

«I just witnessed wonderful music performed by an extremely talented artist!»Melissa M. Bailey

«The concert was great!»Nathan Santos (music instructor at Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania)

«Hi Paolo, thank you very much for the encouraging words. I feel a lot more comfortable at practice. [...] It has been a lot of fun and I learned a lot!»Minh Phuong Minh N. Do

Paolo Schianchi, composing - 2012

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Classical Music ConcertPennsylvania, April 15, 2012

«The audiences really love the piece you did for our film. […] It enchants and your musicianship is unearthly. Thank you once again for contributing your amazing artistry»Michael Di Jiacomo (film director in the movie “Somewhere Tonight” starring John Turturro, New York)

«It was a pleasure and a treat to hear and watch such a talented and char-ming musician ply his craft.»Andrew Osarczuk

«You were absolutely amazing (I've said it already but I feel the need to say it at least half a dozen more times).»JD Bachelder

«What energy and passion you exhibited through your musical genius. You were truly a gift to us.»Cheryl Lynn Horsey (Vice President for Student Services, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Pennsylvania)

«Thank you, Paolo. It was a delight talking to you and even more to see you performing. I am looking forward to the Duets concert.»Bob Karlovits (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

«I am so glad Pittsburgh is going to have a chance to enjoy your extraordinary talent.»Laura Horner

Interview at WTAJ tv (CBS affiliate) - April 2012

Talent show on national tv - October 2009

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Ticket, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, duet with Sean Jones - May 24, 2012

Erie Reader - April 18, 2012

«Paolo I wanted to tell you that I was so honored to meet you and experience your concert.I will tell you: it was the greatest expe-rience of my life. I and my wife Carmen have ever had seen something like this. Thank you so much. Thanks again.»Doug - Buccinese Society

«You are an amazing artist!»Emily Stutzman

«Thanks for the CD. It's terrific.»Michael Hood (Dean of Fine Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania)

«I am definitely a big fan!»Marie Odile Thomas Olson

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Paolo Schianchi conducting at SAMA (Pennsylvania) - March 2012

Instrumental Metamorphoses (GMC, PA) - March 28, 2012

Paolo Schianchi, 37-string guitar, John Fitzgerald Kennedy Auditorium, SFU (PA), sold out - January 2012

Some of the concerts on campus - April 2012

Concert with David Yarborough and the Washingtonians at SAMA (PA), sold out - March 2012

Trobadour, article on Paolo Schianchi’s Artistic Residency, February 23, 2012

ENGLISH«On May 12, 2012, I was fortunate enough to witness the most masterful musical performance

I've ever seen. I got to enjoy the music, and company, of the most brilliant and talented guitarist of our time. His name is Paolo Schianchi. He's from Parma, Italy. I'd strongly recommend anyone listen to him. I'm sure you'll gain the same appreciation, true appreciation for the beauty that a person can create with a guitar.»Brian C. Jones

Paolo Schianchi, Renata Tebaldi Festival, Italy - August 2010, photo by Sara Dacci

Instrumental Metamorphoses, dichephalus acoustic guitar

Instrumental Metamorphoses, resophonic guitar

Instrumental Metamorphoses, Octopus (patented system)

PRESS REVIEW 2012

MUSICIAN COMPOSER

USA

ENGLISHLIFE

Altoona MirrorLe lezioni di Paolo

Guitar virtuoso passes on knowledge at St. Francis

April 12, 2012by CORY DOBROWOLSKY

Paolo Schianchi loves to teach. "You are always grateful for what you receive as a student, and you try to give it back in a way," said the 32-year-old Italian guitar virtuoso. "I was reading the writings of Leonardo da Vinci, and I found something wonderful. Sometimes you work so hard for music, and you have difficulties. You work because you want to be remembered after your death. Da Vinci said you can lose money or power, but you can't lose what you know, and it makes us immortal to pass your knowledge along. That's why I love to teach."Schianchi, a native of Parma, Italy, has been passing on his knowledge since January as an artist-in-residence at St. Francis University, Loretto. He will remain there until the end of the spring semester, as well as playing concerts both on the campus and in other areas, such as Pittsburgh."I feel blessed to be here," he said. "In April, I have a lot of performances going on, almost two performances a week."Schianchi will perform a blues concert at 8 p.m. today at the St. Francis Fine Arts Center. He will also hold a classical music concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at SFU's Immaculate Conception Chapel. He will travel to Pittsburgh on April 19 with St. Francis professor Chuck Olson for a lecture and presentation at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Olson's lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m., with Schianchi's performance to follow. The cost for the event will be $10.Schianchi will also perform May 24 in downtown Pittsburgh at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. That concert will begin at 7:30 p.m."He's been very busy," said Olson, the chairman of the fine arts program at St. Francis. "He's definitely not been idle. He's done five performances for us. He's also put together the nucleus of a new instrumental ensemble on campus. He also has original music featured in a new film starring John Turturro called 'Somewhere Tonight.' All this while he's staying in rural Ashville."Schianchi's love of music began when he was a child."When my mother was expecting me, she would listen to loud music, like Elvis [Presley]," he said. "She told me when I was little, she would put me on the couch and would turn music on. She said I would just freeze; I would just be fascinated with the music."Schianchi started taking violin lessons at age 4, but they soon ended, as he admitted he was too young and wasn't having much fun.Soon, however, another type of music would find his ear."My brother was listening to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin," he said. "That was something very new. Around that time, my grandmother also gave me a toy guitar. I was having fun with that.""My mother also gave me an album by Paul McCartney, and one day, she found me playing what you would call 'air guitar.' I was terribly embarrassed, but she asked me if I wanted to play the guitar. I started taking lessons around age 8 or 9."

As well as being a guitar virtuoso, Schianchi has flexed his inventive muscles, building a machine called the Octopus, allowing him to play two gui-tars at once."It can be defined as an acoustic-electric system," Schianchi said. "It combines the most important elements of classical and electric guitars."The system's "weight is like a grand piano," and it combines 214 controls, which Schianchi can mani-pulate "like a railroad switch.""I can send a signal in one direction to one spea-ker, and I can send another to another speaker at the same time," he said. "Ev-ery sound you hear is live; it was not pre-recorded. My intention was to exploit all of the possibilities.""He's a complete musician," Olson said. "He is an amazing, incredible guitarist. Jim Donovan [St. Francis professor and former drummer for Rusted Root] said he's one of the best guitarists he's ever seen. His range goes all the way through Spanish baroque guitar to 19th century music to early, Robert Johnson blues to Brazilian jazz to rock and roll."

Schianchi is also writing music during his stay in Loretto for an album to be recorded when he returns to Italy this summer."Before I left, I received a call from one of the most important producers in Italy," Schianchi said. "His name is Red Canzian, and he was the bass player for Pooh, the most famous band in Italy. They are like the Italian Beatles. He was interested in what I do. He was really enthu-siastic and wanted me to write while I was here."Schianchi also received a 37-string acoustic guitar as a gift from an Argentinian luthier before he left for the U.S., so he decided he would like to record the album on his new instru-ment."This instrument is very challenging," he said.Along with the writing, Schianchi has devoted his rare down-time to practicing on his new guitar, so he will be ready to enter the studio when he returns home."I hope [Canzian] won't change his mind," Schianchi joked.

Comments

BrentOApr-12-12 3:31 PMAgree | DisagreeThis guy is amazing. Well worth a drive up the mountain.

Link to the article:http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/559808/Guitar-virtuoso-passes-on-knowledge-at-St--Francis.html

ENGLISH

Paolo Schianchi & Sean Jones at the AWC before their concert - May 24, 2012, photo by Ted Wiegand

ENGLISHPICK OF THE WEEK

Erie Reader

April 18, 2012by REBECCA STYN

A city that’s renowned for Verdi, pro-sciutto, and Parmesan cheese—in fact, the residents refer to themsel-ves as Parmesans first and Italians second—resides a masterful guita-rist that has been praised by both Italian and American musicians as a great musical innovator. He’s regar-ded as a revelation in contemporary music and has been awarded first prize at several prestigious national and international competitions as both a guitarist and composer.That city is Parma, Italy. And the mu-sician is Paolo Schianchi.Paolo Schianchi plays all existing variations of the guitar. He is a musi-cian, composer, researcher, and inventor. He has gained international experience, performing with several of the world’s most renowned musi-cians, and he’s currently in the states serving as Saint Francis University’s Artist-in-residence. During his time here—he heads back home in May—he is touring much of central Pennsylvania and a few outlying states, and fortunately for us, he plans to bring his talents to the Erie area. I had an opportunity to speak with Schianchi in between his teachings, and although the conversation was brief, it instilled in me a notion that even with his notoriety, his background and expertise, he takes nothing for granted, and is still very humbled and eternally grateful for the talents he holds.“I first came to the states when I was 21,” Schianchi tells me. “At the time I was studying with Matteo Mela, another renowned musician in Italy, but I met a very talented guitar player from Texas – Mitch Weverka. He believed in the talent I had and felt I needed to come to the states.” Schianchi would be offered a grant and then performed stateside for a bit. Here he met his wife and moved back home.

Instrumental Metamorphoses, Renaissance lute

ENGLISHSchianchi graduated from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia with his first degree in music and also a ten-year Diploma in guitar, to which he then added a second post-diploma Master in Music and Guitar and a third Master in Instrumental Teaching He has been a teacher at various European academies, and he has been invited to hold master classes at prestigious universities and schools, like the Duke Ellington School Of The Arts in Washington, D.C.Over the years, Schianchi obtained a love for many different types of music. “I love to play the classical guitar, but I love to play different varieties—many different genres.” And each concert he performs is different. “In one concert I’ll perform classical music, in another blues and in another jazz or rock ‘n’ roll. I like to change it up.”He counts his blessings. “I feel truly blessed having the talent I do. Everywhere I perform I usually have a great audience, and I always feel welcome, and I keep getting these won-derful opportunities. I do feel right now is one of the best periods in my life.”His local connection is another prolific musician: guitarist Bill Burke. “I actually met Bill for the first time in Italy. I had the opportunity to play with him in Parma. We performed toge-ther and studied each other artistically, and he was really impressed with the classical guitar and invited me to Erie. He is a wonderfully gifted musician.”Schianchi has also recorded with Burke and a variety of other talents, such as the Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, Alberto Radius (legendary Italian guitarist and arranger for Lucio Battisti), Jim Donovan (Rusted Root, Carlos Santana, Led Zeppelin, Sting), and several others. In addition, he has perfor-med at prestigious festivals in Italy and abroad.As it turns out, he’s actually been to Erie before.“This might make you laugh,” he tells me on the phone. “When I was in states, I didn’t know what to expect. In fact, the one time I performed in Erie, I was really worried that I might bore the audience; it was in the back of my mind during my entire performance.” Towards the end, two individuals stood up. “I thought, well, I suspected this happen – that I actually must have bored them so they’re leaving.” Instead, they started clapping. “All of a sudden, I realized they were giving me a standing ovation! It was overwhelming to experience, especially when I went in expecting the opposite!” Paolo Schianchi moving to the States - January 2012

Carnegie Museum of Art, Paolo Schianchi has been the first soloist to perform there - April 19, 2012

After my phone conversation, I realize through my research that Jim Donovan from Rusted Root said it best about Schianchi. “Calling Schianchi a virtuoso is like calling Pavarotti a good singer. He is the rare mix of tremendous talent and humble spirit. He makes me want to learn how to say ‘wow’ in Italian. It's rare to meet someone who is setting the bar for other musicians.”

Link to the article:http://www.eriereader.com/topics/entertainment/music/pick-week-paolo-schianchi

ENGLISH

ENGLISHTROBADOUR

Paolo Schianchi: Resident Artist alla SFU

February 23, 2012di RACHEL VASIKO

Paolo Schianchi: SFU-s Resident Artistby Rachel Vasilko

At age 18 he took off for Ireland. Leaving his home in Italy he drove for three days almost completely non-stop. He had heard of Grafton Street in Dublin, a sanctuary for street musicians, and was determi-ned to reach it.For a month, he lived on nothing but the money that he made playing guitar in the street. He spent his days playing in one spot and the moving to another when authorities ordered him to stop.It was during his time in Ireland that Paolo Schianchi wrote his first song. In a crowded pub in Dublin, one night he witnessed something that he had never seen before: a single man in the middle of the crowd started to sing and the whole place fell silent to listen.The event fascinated him, and that night at his home he picked up his guitar and began to play. Playing nothing in particular, the song just flowed out of him, and Schianchi realized that it was an interesting piece. He wrote it down, and it became his first song.

Music had always been very intriguing to Schianchi. His mother loved music, and as a child he can remember listening to everything from Giuseppe Verdi to Elvis Presley, his mother's favorites. He also ha rock 'n' roll influences from his brother, who listened to bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. At the age of 4 he asked to learn the violin and began to take lessons from an old man who he describes as being “not skilled with children”.Schianchi quickly quit the lessons because he wanted to have more fun. He still loved music though, and would often be caught playing the air guitar to the Paul McCartney CD that had been given to him as a gift from his mother.When Schianchi was about 8 years old, his mother asked him if he wanted to take guitar les-sons. She took much care to find him a good teacher, and soon Schianchi was learning guitar and having fun doing it.

Within a few years he became very serious about playing. He started to become interested in other genres of music, and he began to stray from the classical guitar that he could play so well. He started to learn electric guitar, as well as resophonic guitar. When Schianchi was a young teenager he began to find small, temporary jobs so that he could make enough money to buy new instruments.

Paolo Schianchi performing in Philadelphia, PA

ENGLISHAround the age of 14 it became apparent to Schianchi that he needed to move on to a more advanced level of guitar. He began to take masterclasses, and thanks to his parents, had the opportunity to study with many great guitarists from all over the world.He began to play concerts as well, and it was then that guitar truly began Schianchi's lifelong profession.

In addition to the guitar, Schianchi also had a very standard schooling. He attended ele-mentary school and middle school, followed by high school, while at the same time working towards his degree in guitar. In Italy it takes 10 years to earn a guitar degree. When he fini-shed high school he began to take classes in university, studying communication sciences all the while continuing to learn guitar.Schianchi went back to school 2 more times, one to study music disciplines, and once more to study music didactics. He now has all of the music degrees attainable in Italy. Schianchi loves to learn and has had to stop himself from going back to school again and again.“It's very enriching. You learn a lot of things, but at the same time it derives a time when you really understand that we always learn,” Schianchi said, “We never stop learning, but to follow a path that is your own. I practice today. I study today.”

Schianchi has taken all of the skills that he has developed and everything that has learned, and has put it to use. He invented and patented a system that he calls “the Octopus”. He demonstrated his invention during his first concert at Saint Francis on Jan. 31.The system combines electric and acoustic guitars: the varieties of guitar that are the most different from each other. He uses a foot pedal to manipulate the sound, and usually per-forms in his signature bare feet. The manipulation of the sound is the most difficult part of the system, and his bare feet allow him to change the levels with the foot pedal more easily.

Schianchi's talent and purpose has gotten him far in his life. A month before he came to SFU, he was contacted by the most famous music producer in Italy, a man who works with the Italian equivalent of The Beatles. It was something that Schianchi says “only happens in the movies”.After two meetings, Schianchi was asked to write music for a solo album that he will record in the summer when he returns to Italy.

Concert at SAMA, sold out - March 2012, photo by Charles R. Olson

Schwab Estate, PA - March 11, 2012

ENGLISHSchianchi currently lives in Ashville, in a house by the lake. He says that it is the perfect place for him to write his music. He finds the lake, the forest, and the silence great inspira-tion.In addition to working on his album Schanchi will also be lecturing in a number of different music classes at SFU, and will be teaching guitar to select students. He will also be perfor-ming a number of concerts on campus, as well as a number of other venues around the country.

The Art of JazzSAMA Museum hosts performance of Paolo, Yarborough and their students

The Museum was �lled for Paolo Schianchi’s “Dress Up for Jazz” concert. Some people even had to watch from the upper level.

March 22, 2012 - Review by Caitlin Flynn

Two extraordinary musicins and teachers brought their students to the Southern Allegheny Museum of Art March 14 for an evening of jazz before an appreciative audience.Guitarist Paolo Schianchi, Saint Francis University's Artist-in-Residence this semester, combined forces with world-renowed saxophonist, composer, arranger and instructor Davey Yarborough.

In 1986, Yarborough created the jazz orchestra at the Duke Ellington School of Arts in Wa-shington, DC, and built what is now an internationally recognized Jazz Studies program.For his part, Schianchi his regarded as one of the foremost talents of his generation, offe-ring a rare mix of mastery and child-like enthusiasm.

Paolo Schianchi on his dicephalus guitar, photo by Linda Vukaj

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Malpensa Airport, Italy, Paolo Schianchi is back from the USA tour- June 2012

Schianchi opened the evening with a Jazz-inspired solo on his patented Octopus guitar, an instrument that Schianchi plays with both his hands and feet to create a sound unimagina-ble from a live soloist before it.If not for the expertise with which he played, it sounded like an improvised solo that came merely from his mood that day.Schianchi then moved to electric guitar for a duet with Yarborough. Both artists played with a passion that wasn't reminiscent of an instrumentalist but rather a singer who was using the sound of the instruments as a voice to tell the story of the song.

For the rest of the evening, they turned the show over their talented students, first Schian-chi's, from Italy, and then Yarborough's, from D.C.It was a night that filled the Museum with a lasting atmosphere as classics as the music they played.

Cover of the SFU annual magazine, dedicated to Paolo Schianchi, first ever Artist in Residence at the SFU, founded in the 1847

Gazzetta di Parma (Italy’s oldest daily national newspaper), interview - July 5, 2012

Paolo Schianchi’s 37-string guitar.Specifically designed along with the Argentine luthier Carlos Roberto Michelutti.This instrument, which belongs to the family of the acoustic harp-guitars, is one of a kind.

The Octopus

«Technical security and a high degree of artistry in his interpretation [...]. He is a talented young player who has a bright musical future.» - David Russell, Spain

«Paolo Schianchi is one of the �ner guitarists to emerge from his generation. His virtuosic technique, combined with his absolutely unique musical personality, will prove to distinguish him as an artist of considerable signi�cance.» - Andrew Zohn, USA

«He is an incredible talent and a great musician. Around the age of thirteen he was already a brilliant guitarist and a young virtuoso. His capability of playing all different styles going from classical to rock, jazz and blues always impressed me. Few have the gift of being able to communicate through usic like him.» - Matteo Mela, SoloDuo, Switzerland

«Paolo Schianchi, with whom I have had the pleasure to collaborate with research on Santino Garsi da Parma, the Renaissance lute player, is a highly talented and versatile musician, a virtuoso able to skilfully interpret numerous instrumentalist roles by following the metamorphoses that the guitar has undergone over time and within divesre cultures.» - Massimo Lonardi, Italy

«He's brilliant! [...]. feel he is the greatest guitarist in the world. I've been playing for 50 years, I know what I'm talking about but he's the only person I know who makes my hair... stand on end! That's what it's all about: feeling the music.» - Alberto Radius, Italy’s guitar legend, (collaborations: Stevie Wonder, Cat Stevens, Lucio Battisti, etc.), Italy

«Excellent. His interpretative rigour never sacri�ces the intrinsic ef�cacy of communicative power that every musician should possess.» - Giovanni Puddu, Italy

IT HAS BEEN SAID OF HIM...

REVIEWS .. .

CONTACTSUS phone: (+1) 646 . 397 . EASYEU phone: (+39) 328 45 49 529guitar@paoloschianchi.com - (+39) 329 21 60 154

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ANCH

IPAOLOCOMPOSER

«I have seen some pretty fair guitar players perform live – Clapton, Santana, [...] – but I don’t think I’ve ever been this impressed. Paolo’s virtuosity is breathtaking.» - Brent Ottaway, Trobadour, Loretto, PA (USA), 2009

«The best [...] of the many talented yougsters who performed on [...] the Rai talent show. Paolo Schianchi was the only one who greatly impressed me.» - Alessandro Rostagno, TV, Sorrisi e Canzoni, 2009

«It is something just inde�nable and so incredibly fascinating and unsettling. Disorientating. [...] I have never before heard anyone play the guitar like that. Extraordinary. [...] Packed theatre, great audience, endless applause: [...] an unmissable performance.» - Francesco Rapaccioni, Teatro.org, 2010

«One of the greatest talents that Parma, in the whole of its history, has exported to the world: Paolo Schianchi. And it’s no exaggeration. [...] His control over the guitar’s dynamics and timbric nuances is unique, in addition, naturally, to his breathtaking virtuosity which characterizes without suffocating him and makes it accessible to the audience. His latest “sold out” concerts are by no means a coincidence.» - Giacomo Marzi, music critic, 2011

«[...] Talent, versatility, extensive research [...] ingenious insights, [...] deriving from an artistic streak, the kind that one is born with and that can't be acquired, and this is what Paolo simply oozes. Good luck, Paolo, we'll be hearing a lot about you in the future.» - La Repubblica [online version, "Musica" section, “Celebrities" category], 2009

«Today, Schianchi probably marks new interpretive and technical frontiers, and not just in Italy.» - Gazzetta di Parma, 2011

«A revelation in contemporary music, a young man that has both the necessary qualities and passion needed to continue to revolutionise the history of 21st century music.» - Irene Accorsini, ParmaOk, 2008

«a young, extraordinary musician, [...] among the greatest guitarists, and also able to discover new sonorities with his research [...]» - Valeria Ottolenghi, Vice-President of the National Critics Association, 2007

«I’ve seen the future of rock [...] Paolo Schianchi isn’t an emerging musician: he is a great guitarist who still hasn’t had the opportunity to make a name for himself the way he deserves to. [...] Compositions for double-neck acoustic guitars will stop you mourning Jimmy Page at his best [...]. Octopus, a complicated instrument that he patented himself enables him to play with Pink Floyd’s magni�cence, but by himself. [...] Paolo Schianchi is a prodigy of inventiveness, technique and passion entirely dedicated to music and not to becoming a celebrity.» - Pierangelo Pettenati, Music & Theatre, Gazzetta di Parma, 2009.

«A truly new world opens forth from his guitars.» - Gazzetta di Parma, 2008

MUSICIAN